Improvement in piano-actions



2Sheets--Sheet1. MUELLER. Piano Ac-tions. N0,I52 ,9I2. Patentedlulyl4,1874.

(21.11 114/1 IIL'Z/m 1215M M. v

vim/W "NE GRAPHIGCO. PHOTO-LITHJQI; 4! PARK PLACE NY I UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

AUGUST MUELLER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-ACTIONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 52,912, dated July 14, 1874; application filed May 2, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST MOELLER, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in PianoAction; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a side view, all the parts in a state of rest; and in Figs. 2 and 3, the same views, the parts in action.

This invention relates to an improvement in mechanism for operating the hammer in pianos, designed with special reference to the class known as uprights, the object being to avoid the necessity of the hammers falling completely back before they may be re-engaged for a second or succession of blows;

and the invention consists in combining, with the trip by which the movement of the key is communicated to the hammer, an auxiliary connection with the hammer, which will support the hammer near the wire while the trip recedes sufliciently to re-engage the hammer.

A is the key; B, the hammer, hung at a; C, the trip; I), the lever in connection with the hammer through a rod, E, and in connec tion with which the trip C is hung at (1 F is the rest upon which the hammer lies; Gr, the pad which catches and prevents the rebound of the hammer by striking upon a pad, H, on the hammer. I is the stop which strikes and rests upon the wire after the key rises, all constructed and operating in substantially the usual manner.

In such construction it is essential that the hammer shall fall back upon the rest F, and the key return to its natural position before the hammer can bore-engaged and strike a second blow.

To avoid this necessity and allow a more rapid repetition of blows, I hang at b, on the lever D, an auxiliary lever, L, and between the two I place a feather-spring, n, the tendency of which is to hold the lever L up, and Q the distance apart governed by an adjusting screw, N. On this lever L a rod, 1?, rests, which is pivoted, as at m, and to the lower end of the rod P a spindle, It, is attached, extending through the lever L and lever D, with a head on the spindle, and between this head and the under side of the lever L a spiral spring, 1', is arranged, which tends to hold the rod 1 down upon the lever L. Above the free end of the lever L an adjustable stop, S is arranged.

The operation of this auxiliary attachment is as follows: Depressing the key, so as to raise its rear end from the position in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 2, throws up the lever D. The trip C, bearing against the heel of the hammer, strikes the wire and the trip escapes therefrom, as seen in Fig. 3, the shorter arm of the trip striking the adjustable stop T to throw it from the heel.

This is in substantially the usual manner. In thus raising the lever D the lever L rises, and with it the rod P, until the free end of the lever L strikes the stop S, as seen in Fig. 2. This occurs before the trip reaches its stop; consequently, in completing the movement, the rod P is taken up with the hammer, the lever L standing still, and the rod 1? drawing the spring 4' up against the under side of the lever L, as seen in Fig. 3, so that so soon as the trip escapes from the hammer the spring 1" will draw the hammer instantly back until the rod P rests upon the lever L, as seen in Fig. 2, and the lever L will there stand still and hold the hammer until the lever D returns, so as to take upon the head of the adjusting-screw N, the spring at holding the lever up during this time, and so soon as, or

immediately before, the lever D thus engages the lever L, as seen in Fig. 2, the trip C will have fallen beneath the heel of the hammer; then, if from that point which is about half depressed the key be again pressed down the hammer will be thrown from that position, Fig. 2, to again strike the string, Fig. 3, and without returning to its rest F; hence the blows may be repeated without the key rising to its place of rest, and consequently In combination with the lover I), trip G, the blows may be repeated with a much and hammers and keys ofa piano the auxilgreater rapidity, because of the less extent iary lever L, the rod 1 springs 02 1', and illof the stroke, and this extent may be mljustable stops S N, substantially as and for justeil by raising or lowering the stops S, T, the purpose described.

and N. e w .T n r i I The operation ot the other parts of the V ALGUSL MOLL mechanism are too well known to require tle- \Vitnesses: seription here. REINHOLD BUBsER,

I claim as my invention- GEO. F. ADAMS. 

